Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Reflections


After 16 busy weeks of classes filled with blog posts, interviews and writing, the 2012 fall semester has finally come to an end. 

My previous six blog posts have taught me a lot about being a journalist. Unlike other assignments I have done in the past, these blog posts provided a realistic situation of sharing my writing. Most of the posts were assigned with tight deadlines, including this one. This provides experience with writing quickly but also accurately. Uploading pieces to the Internet puts pressure on writers because anyone can access their posts, another aspect I hadn’t dealt with in other classes.

Overall, I enjoyed writing these blog posts because they were different from other assignments I had previously done.

Reporting Contemporary Issues, the course at the University of Northern Colorado that these posts are for, made me a better writer.

After reporting on the Greeley City Council meetings, the Northern Colorado Empty Stocking Fund and the 2012 election, I gained valuable experience with interviewing and writing. The more that I conduct interviews and write stories, the easier it becomes.

To students that will be taking this class in the future, I would recommend being aware of all deadlines and due dates. Unlike other classes where you can cram for a test last minute, this class requires scheduling interviews in advance and high-quality writing. As long as planning articles isn’t done last minute, this class is very helpful and informative for any journalism student.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Upscale Car Wash Coming Soon


The modern and locally owned car wash company, Breeze Thru Car Wash, will be opening a new location in Greeley late next year. The lot that will be used, located on 28th street, is currently occupied by self-storage and an older car wash. Both plan to be demolished in February.

“The current site is an eyesore,” Greeley City Councilman John Gates said.

Deanne Frederickson, the land-planning consultant for the project, believes the car wash will be a great addition to the city.

 “The other locations we’ve opened have been extremely popular,” Frederickson said. “The services offered are fast and affordable.”

Breeze Thru Car Wash already operates in Ft. Collins, Longmont and Cheyenne and offers car washes starting at just $3. In addition, the Greeley site will also provide detailing and free vacuum machines.

On Dec. 4th, the Greeley City Council approved the planned design and development of the facility that will be built.

“I think it’s going to be a great project,” Greeley City Councilman Robb Cassiday said. “I’m excited about seeing the old facility being replaced instead of trying to redo it.”

The building will include a custom draining system that allows 75 percent of water used to be recycled. The company also uses environmentally friendly soaps and chemicals.

Upon opening, Breeze Thru Car Wash expects to hire 18 fulltime employees.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

"Gasland" Director Speaks at UNC


The University of Northern Colorado welcomed the controversial and outspoken environmentalist Josh Fox to speak to students and residents on Nov. 15th. Fox, the director of the Oscar-nominated documentary “Gasland”, discussed his research for the film and the dangers of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking.

Fracking is a drilling technique that uses high-pressure fluid, made from water, sand and dangerous chemicals, to fracture rocks in order to release natural gas. This process contaminates the water and air in surrounding areas, causing health problems to those exposed.

“Our agreement with each other and our civilization is to behave in a just manner,” Fox said. “The fracking industry is breaking that rule and it’s being done in full view of our government without repercussions.”

Fox first learned of fracking when he received a letter from a gas company offering money to drill on his land in Delaware. Intrigued, Fox began conducting research on the proposal by talking to neighbors and families already allowing fracking on their land, and was shocked by what he saw. Their drinking water was heavily contaminated, animals were losing fur and families had become constantly sick.

“This project was going to be a five minute YouTube video to help my neighbors,” Fox said. “It turned into a documentary viewed by over 50 million people in 30 countries.”

Fox traveled the country to see how other areas were being affected by this drilling. Weld County, one of the featured locations in “Gasland”, was having similar problems.

Shane Davis, a Weld Country resident and fracking activist, lived in the area for two years before realizing 75 drilling wells surrounded his home.

“My nose bled for a year straight and I had constant headaches,” Davis said. “We have to challenge the regulatory system and make our wants heard.”

Weld County continues to be effected by fracking as UNC has recently revealed that fracking will be permitted on campus.

“It is irresponsible for the university to participate,” Fox said. “This oil and gas development must come to an end.”

Weston Wilson, a retired environmental engineer for the Environmental Protection Agency, challenged the EPA’s decision to allow fracking despite the health risks.

“We the people have been so asleep that we allow Colorado to impose on our human rights,” Wilson said. “We must rise up and tell our government to stand up for our public health.”

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Amendment 64: Greeley City Council Votes No


On Oct. 16th, the Greeley City Council declared they will be opposing Amendment 64 and encouraging citizens to do the same.

The passing of Amendment 64 would permit the consumption and possession of one ounce or less of marijuana in Colorado.

Greeley Police Chief Jerry Garner also opposes the bill and believes Colorado citizens should vote no on the legalization of marijuana.

“Every professional law enforcement association in the state of Colorado has announced their opposition to Amendment 64,” Garner said. “Drug driving is already a problem for us in this state. Putting more marijuana out there is going to make it a more serious problem because drugged drivers are more difficult to detect than drunk drivers.”

Currently, medicinal marijuana licenses permit the possession and consumption of one ounce or less of marijuana in Colorado, as well as 16 other states. Washington and Oregon join Colorado as the only states to possibly legalize marijuana this voting year.

Greeley Mayor Tom Norton also spoke about the issue.

“Based on my passed experience as a legislator, when you make a change in the Constitution to the state of Colorado that violates federal law, considerable difficulty in lawsuits can be forthcoming,” Norton said. “I would recommend a negative vote on 64 for that particular reason.”

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Greeley Prepares for Sormwater Audits


On Oct. 2nd, the Greeley City Council approved the revision of three city codes related to its stormwater program.

In 2002, Greeley was issued a Stormwater Discharge Permit (MS4 Permit), which requires cities to meet certain requirements and pass random state audits related to stormwater regulations. Cities that fail to meet the regulations may be fined and penalized by the state.

“These regulations are in place to protect our citizens and property from flooding in severe storm conditions,” Greeley City Councilman Robb Casseday said. “Strict rules are placed on developers and maintenance requirements to assure their ability to handle flood waters.”

The revised codes focus on the cities grading soil and erosion control in areas where mud and soil wash onto roads, creating more efficiant enforcements on city channels and detention ponds, and preventing oils and other chemicals from being washed into storm sewers.

These changes are minor and Greely City Councilman John Gates says there will be no direct impact on Greeley residents.

“These changes are recommended from the state as new requirements for permit holders,” Gates said.

The state will begin the random audits for permit holders on Oct. 15th.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Getting Started.

My name is Brooke Johnson and I am a senior at the University of Northern Colorado majoring in journalism with an emphasis in news-editorial and minoring in business administration. I am creating this blog for my Reporting Contemporary Issues class. This blog will focus on the presidential election and Greeley, Colo., City Council meetings.

This is my first blog and I am excited to get started. I do find it nerve-wracking that anyone will be able to see what is written, but, at the same time, it is exciting that people will be able to read my thoughts on events!

I'm confident in my writing skills and believe that blogging about various topics will only help me improve.

Although I have never blogged before, I believe that it will be very different from the college writing assignments that I have had before. To me, blogging seems more informal and based mostly on opinions and beliefs of topics. Despite the informality, I will be sure to produce only quality work because blogs can be viewed by anyone.

By reporting on this blog, I hope to gain more confidence in my writing and covering of events. Although it is a class assignment, I feel that I will enjoy working on this blog because it is something that I could continue in the future!